The present invention relates to a semiconductor laser device containing a laser driver. More particularly, the invention relates to a semiconductor laser device in which a semiconductor laser element as well as a laser driver for driving the laser element are mounted on a lead frame.
Also, the present invention relates to electronic equipment having such a semiconductor laser device containing a laser driver.
Conventionally, there has been known a semiconductor laser device as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B (see FIG. 4 of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication HEI 6-203403). This semiconductor laser device is fabricated through the steps of forming a resin package 112 with a resin mold so that a mount portion 160 of a lead frame 106 is surrounded by the resin package 112, die-bonding on the mount portion a planar submount 105 on which a mirror (not shown) and a semiconductor laser element 101 are mounted, further die-bonding on a submount 161 therebeside a signal detection part 103, connecting (wire-bonding) electrodes of the semiconductor laser element 101, the signal detection part 103 or the like and lead pins 113 with each other by means of thin metallic wires 114, performing burn-in and characteristic inspections, and thereafter fitting a hologram element 104 by UV resin (ultraviolet curable resin) 109 in such a manner that the upper opening of the resin package 112 is covered therewith. Further, in the submount 105, a monitor detection part (not shown) for monitoring an optical output of the semiconductor laser element 101 is integrally formed. Laser light 115 emitted by the semiconductor laser element 101 is reflected by the mirror to come incident on the hologram element 104, and is then transmitted by the hologram element 104 to be applied to and reflected by an unshown optical disc (on which various informations have been recorded), thus returning as signal light 116 representing information recorded on the optical disc. This signal light 116 is diffracted by the hologram element 104, led to the signal detection part 103, converted there into an electric signal by the signal detection part 103, and then taken out via the lead pins 113.
However, in the conventional semiconductor laser device, the laser driver for driving the semiconductor laser element 101 is still provided as an external part.
As a result of this, there has been a problem that downsizing, thinning and cost reduction of equipment using the laser device cannot be implemented sufficiently. In other words, since the laser device and the laser driver are generally used in combination, downsizing of the laser device alone, even if accomplished, could not produce so much effect.